The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in elementary mathematics education is growing alongside advances in educational technology. This study aims to synthesize evidence on the effects and reported benefits of AI, identify its forms and applications, and map related research trends. A Systematic Literature Review (SLR) was conducted following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Data were retrieved from Scopus and Google Scholar using Publish or Perish, covering publications from 2021 to 2025. Of 454 records identified, 15 studies met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. The findings indicate that AI is associated with reported benefits in mathematics achievement, problem-solving, motivation, self-directed learning, mathematical disposition, mathematical literacy, personalized learning, and teacher support, although the strength of evidence varies across study designs. AI applications include ChatGPT, chatbots, Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS), AI-assisted instruction, AI-assisted Problem-Based Learning (AI-PBL), AI-powered e-modules, and AI-supported learning platforms and media. Research trends show increasingly diverse AI applications and research directions rather than a uniform progression. Overall, AI shows promising potential to support adaptive, interactive, and student-centered elementary mathematics learning, although its educational value depends on appropriate pedagogical integration and learning context.
This study mapped global research trends at the intersection of the environmental attitude–behavior gap and Eco-Realistic Mathematics Education (Eco-RME)/Realistic Mathematics Education (RME), including knowledge structures and geographic contributions. A descriptive bibliometric analysis used Dimensions records retrieved on September 2, 2026, combining attitude–behavior-gap terms with Eco-RME/RME, green mathematics, and environmental education terms in titles, abstracts, and keywords, limited to 2021–2026 publications associated with SDGs 4 or 13. Of 297 initial records, 52 from one unrelated conference proceeding were excluded, yielding 245 records. VOSviewer network, overlay, and density analyses were complemented by country and institutional summaries. Publications increased from 14 in 2021 to 71 in 2025. Affiliation-country data were available for 196 records, led by China, the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Indonesia; 27% involved international co-authorship. Keyword clusters addressed psychological determinants, environmental education, sustainability curricula, climate policy, and behavioral interventions. No retained record explicitly mentioned “Eco-RME” or “realistic mathematics education” in its title or abstract. Thus, research on the environmental attitude–behavior gap is growing and geographically diverse, whereas its explicit integration with Eco-RME/RME in elementary education remains underdeveloped. This finding identifies a priority for future empirical investigation, not evidence of intervention effectiveness.
Gamification has become one of the most influential pedagogical innovations in digital education, yet comparative evidence regarding its development, implementation, and educational impact across neighboring Southeast Asian countries remains limited. This study aims to comparatively examine the research trends, implementation strategies, and educational impacts of gamification in Indonesia and Malaysia between 2021 and 2026. A Systematic Literature Review (SLR) was conducted following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines through four stages: identification, screening, eligibility assessment, and qualitative synthesis of peer-reviewed journal articles indexed in major academic databases. The synthesis generated three principal themes. Theme 1 reveals a substantial growth of gamification research, demonstrating a transition from motivation-oriented game elements toward adaptive, mobile, artificial intelligence-supported, and immersive learning ecosystems. Theme 2 indicates that successful implementation increasingly depends on pedagogical integration, the use of digital technology, teacher readiness, and institutional support, with Indonesia emphasizing classroom innovation and the development of learning media. In contrast, Malaysia focuses more on technology acceptance, professional development, and sustainable institutional implementation. Theme 3 demonstrates that gamification consistently enhances cognitive, affective, and behavioral learning outcomes, including academic achievement, motivation, engagement, collaboration, and problem-solving skills, although its effectiveness remains context-dependent. The novelty of this review lies in providing the first PRISMA-based comparative synthesis integrating research evolution, implementation strategies, and educational impacts across Indonesia and Malaysia. This study contributes a comprehensive analytical framework that informs future research, evidence-based educational policies, and the development of adaptive, sustainable, and culturally responsive gamification practices in Southeast Asian education.
Mathematics anxiety among elementary students is often associated with low achievement, diminished confidence, and avoidance, yet its developmental formation remains insufficiently understood. This study develops an empirically grounded process model explaining how mathematics anxiety emerges through social and emotional experiences. Using a qualitative interpretive design informed by Gioia’s methodology, we studied 10 students in grades IV–VI and five mathematics teachers at SDN 006 Langgini and SDN 004 Langgini, Bangkinang, Kampar, Indonesia. Data from semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and learning documents were analyzed through first-order concepts, second-order themes, and aggregate dimensions, supported by constant comparison, triangulation, member checking, and reflexivity. Findings identify four interconnected stages. First, students encounter recurring negative mathematical experiences, including conceptual difficulties, poor performance, mistakes, and unfavorable social evaluation. Second, they interpret these experiences as signs of personal mathematical inadequacy. Third, mathematics becomes an emotionally threatening domain marked by anticipated failure, embarrassment, and evaluative pressure. Fourth, anxiety becomes internalized as a mathematics-avoidance identity, expressed through withdrawal, limited participation, dependence on others, and reluctance to engage. The model reframes mathematics anxiety as a socially shaped developmental process and underscores the need for psychologically supportive mathematics classrooms, timely constructive feedback, and early interventions targeting emotions, competence beliefs, and mathematical identity.
Holistic assessment encompassing cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains in primary Islamic Religious Education (IRE) faces significant implementation challenges. While previous studies frequently identify technical deficits, empirical understanding of how teachers navigate complex structural and ecological tensions in everyday practice remains limited. This study explores the structural-ecological constraints encountered by IRE teachers and the adaptive strategies they employ to conduct meaningful assessments. Employing an instrumental case study design, qualitative data were gathered through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with four IRE teachers in an Indonesian public primary school and analyzed using categorical aggregation. The findings reveal that cognitive assessments are primarily constrained by curriculum instability and time limitations, psychomotor assessments by inadequate physical facilities, and affective assessments by subjective vulnerabilities and weak school-family synergy. Despite these systemic tensions, teachers demonstrate dynamic professional agency through transformative adaptive strategies, including localized bricolage, longitudinal observation, and peer modeling. This study concludes that effective assessment reform necessitates a multilevel approach, emphasizing targeted professional development and supportive school-family ecosystems rather than rigid, top-down administrative compliance.
